Chelsea have reportedly submitted their opening offer for a Serie A star who’s openly admitted that he’ll consider offers to leave his club, with Enzo Maresca’s side expected to move quickly in the transfer market after their Conference League victory.
Chelsea seal Real Betis comeback to win first trophy under Maresca
The Premier League heavyweights were tipped as heavy favourites to lift this year’s Conference League trophy, but Real Betis threatened to give them a major shock.
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He’s been clocked as the fastest player in his league.
Former Real Madrid star Isco gave them a hard time in the first-half, with Moises Caicedo struggling to contain the Spaniard, and it didn’t take long for Betis to secure a surprise early lead through Abde Ezzalzouli on the nine-minute mark.
Chelsea failed to kickstart any sort of momentum until midway through the second period, when Maresca’s side suddenly came to life and sparked a tremendous comeback against Manuel Pellegrini’s underdogs.
Goals from Enzo Fernández, Nicolas Jackson, Jadon Sancho and Caicedo, in the space of just half an hour, put the result beyond all doubt, with Chelsea taking home the Conference League spoils and confirming Maresca’s first piece of silverware since taking over as manager last year.
“We’ve improved a lot since we started,” said Maresca about Chelsea’s evolution in the last few weeks.
“We also started to win games in an ugly way. That is something with a young squad that you struggle to do that, but I think, for instance, in the Nottingham Forest game we won in a little bit of an ugly way. We found the way to win the game, that was very, very important.
“And then the best picture for me for tonight that made me understand that we were in the right direction is when we scored the first two guys to celebrate was Malo Gusto and Benoit Badiashile. The two that we changed. And this, probably sometimes we judge games, but this for me, for a manager, when you change players that they are not playing good and they are the first that they enjoy the celebration, that means a lot.”
Palmer in particular was vital in their comeback against Betis, putting in a genius attacking display, and BlueCo reportedly have every intention of providing the England international with quality new teammates this summer.
Chelsea submit opening bid for Lazio star Mario Gila
One of the key items on their agenda is the signing of a centre-back, according to Simon Phillips and other reliable sources. Chelsea held rounds of talks with Dean Huijsen before his switch to Real Madrid, but they haven’t given up on their chase for a new defender after missing out on the 20-year-old.
According to newspaper Il Messaggero, Lazio centre-back Mario Gila has now found his way onto Chelsea’s shortlist of targets as they seek an alternative to Huijsen.
The 24-year-old was a mainstay of Lazio’s backline throughout 2024/2025, with only midfielder Matteo Guendouzi playing more league minutes for them than Gila. However, he may well have played his final game for Marco Baroni’s side, and admitted midway through the campaign that he’s ready to listen to other offers despite becoming a “special” figure in Rome.
“I am very happy. Since last year, I started playing midway through the season, and everything is going very well. For a player, being a special figure is very important,” said Gila.
“At this moment, I am happy to be here. After that, whatever happens, I am ready to listen to everything. I have ambitions, and if there are options, I will listen to them and evaluate them. But I am very happy here; the team values me.”
Now, it would appear the Blues have taken him up on this.
Il Messagero reports that Chelsea have made an offer of around £29 million for Gila, but Lazio value him somewhere closer to £44 million, given his key player status and the fact Real Madrid possess a 50% sell-on clause – meaning they’d get half of any transfer fee received for the Spanish defender.
Gila is a reliable centre-half, possessing a unique blend of youth and experience at the top level, which leaves little surprise that Maresca’s side are now expressing a serious interest.
